After a series of four harrowing hair trials, I'd love to share my experience with BG brides in case anyone is going through the same thing (you're not alone!) or in the process of scheduling their beauty appointments for the big day. This is my story about the connection between hair and self-image — including a few hard-earned lessons I learned along the way. 

I looked into the mirror and saw an imposter staring back at me in a haze of hairspray. I recognized the wide Katy Perry-like eyes, but everything else about her was foreign. She had a retro bouffant ‘do warped from the ‘50s, with boho braids wrapped around the sides of her head. I could barely make out the sparkling headpiece on top because it was drowning in a nest of curls.

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I showed the hairstylist my inspiration photo of Kate Middleton (my fashion hero!) at a royal gala, looking resplendent with her updo and amazing Jenny Packham dress. This hairdo looked like the Duchess of Cambridge got into a tussle with a pin-up and a flower child, and there was no clear winner. Would my fiancé Jason even recognize this bride coming towards him down the aisle, with her Medusa tendrils?

Photo Credit: Lucky Me Photography on Lela via Lover.ly

Q: I was surprised to receive an invitation to a friend’s wedding that only had my name on it. She knows I’m engaged and has met my fiancé a few times. Shouldn’t his name be on the invitation as well? 

The bouquet and garter toss are time-honored traditions, but these days, more than half of BG brides skip at least one of the tosses.

One couple decided to put a new twist on the tradition that was anything but stale — Natasha and Jake Johnson launched themselves in a human slingshot before making their tosses! Their venue, Hobble Creek Lodge, already had the slingshot on premises; after taking turns going up in it the night before the wedding with their bridesmaids and groomsmen, they decided to do it during the wedding as well. 

"Jake and I joked around about me doing the human slingshot in my wedding dress but I thought, 'No way, it will ruin my dress,'" Natasha told HuffPost Weddings. "Well, I changed my mind the night before the wedding and said, 'Why not!'" 

Really, should we even have to tell you this? But in a trash-the-dress session taken too far, one bride willingly lit her dress on fire before running into the ocean to extinguish it, all in an attempt to capture a memorable photo. 

The bride was not harmed in this video, but this so easily could've gone terribly, terribly wrong. Natural fibers — like cotton and silk — are extremely flammable, and the flame can travel much faster than you'd think.

Bottom line: If you want a photo of your dress on fire, add some flames in Photoshop. Don't put your life at risk for the sake of a picture.

—Kristen O'Gorman Klein

I mailed out my wedding invitations recently (hooray!) and the responses have been trickling or pouring in, depending on the day. Now that the big reveal is over with most of my guests, I'm excited to unveil the design to my fellow BG brides as well. The photo below doesn't do the invite justice — it was printed in gold glitter ink that shimmers in the light. I worked on it with Arlene Segal, the talented owner of Arlene Segal Designs in Miami, FL, and the style name is "Somewhere in Time," in case anyone is interested in using the same design for their own wedding.

"Somewhere in Time" Wedding Invitation (Style #BW-130)

As a general rule of thumb, it's recommended that brides start shopping for their invitations about five to six months before they wed. Like many other aspects of planning, this process took far longer than I had anticipated; the amount of paperie options is truly staggering and so is the cost of wedding invitations. Between selecting the printing method, font, paper stock, wording and method of addressing envelopes, it all took a great deal of thought. That didn't even include the time spent assembling them!